Matt Payne of New Milford makes a save with his pads during the Danbury Whalers' tryout camp Friday at the Danbury Arena.

Matt Payne of New Milford makes a save with his pads during the Danbury Whalers' tryout camp Friday at the Danbury Arena.

Photo: Barry Horn

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Will Malcolm of Langley, B.C., lines up a shot at the Danbury Whalers' tryout Friday at the Danbury Arena.

Will Malcolm of Langley, B.C., lines up a shot at the Danbury Whalers' tryout Friday at the Danbury Arena.

Photo: Barry Horn

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Danbury Whalers tryouts draw talent, depth

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DANBURY-- On a day of rare opportunities, hockey players from all over participated in an open tryout for the Danbury Whalers Friday, while fans desperate to see some kind of action had a chance to temporarily sate their appetites.

About 60 players, made up of former college players, players from various levels of the minor leagues, and even recreational players, showed up for the tryout, which began this morning at 9 a.m. with positional workouts and concluded after 5 p.m. with the second of two scrimmages of the day.

On Saturday morning, there will be a goalie workout followed by more scrimmages. After that, the group of 60 will be pared down to the best 34, and those players will play in the All-Star Game at 7 p.m. Among the final 34 will be some of the more experienced players (like former Danbury Mad Hatter Igor Karlov and former Danbury Trasher Eric Lind), who did not attend Friday's tryout but were invited by the coaches.

"There's a wide range of talent," said Whalers coach Chris Firriolo. "We're hoping to find a few good guys. It's hard, but the team is going to be very strong. We have a lot of (players with) AA, AAA experience, guys right out of Division-I."

The Whalers posted a bulletin on the team website about the tryout, which was open to anyone who wanted to participate. The players might have lacked the size and speed typically associated with professional hockey, but their technical skills were good.

"This definitely feels great, all the guys are out here working hard," said 23-year-old Bethel resident and former Danbury Mad Hatter Mike Glaberman. "I've been playing hockey since I was five, I work at a hockey pro shop. I love the game. It's pretty much my life right now."

Firriolo and general manager Herm Sorcher have already decided on a bulk of the players who will likely move on to the final 34, but both neither discounted the possibility of a few hidden gems emerging.

"If a player plays great, but he doesn't make the Danbury Whalers, we're going to be partners to other teams in our league," said Sorcher. "We're going to help the other teams in the league. It does no good to have one team blowing people out."

There were fans there from New Jersey, eastern Connecticut, and Westchester.

James Samluk (20, of Plainville) and his father, James Samluk (48, from Levittown in Long Island) were there and planned to return on Saturday. The elder Samluk, who works nights, hadn't slept and came straight to Danbury when his shift was over.

"We like hockey," he said. "We came to the Mad Hatters camp too. We go all over the place to see it."